Flow by Amazon- New Technology

There are so many apps out there for all the mobile devices and it is hard to know which one to use. Each new app needs to be innovative and can often be a competitor for one that already exists. As businesses keep introducing new technology and apps to increase their presence, they can sometimes launch a media craze or they can they can sometimes fail.

            The new technology that I want to introduce is called Flow by Amazon. You can download the app on any smart phone and it uses your phone’s camera to capture images and barcodes. It allows users to add products to their Amazon shopping list by taking a picture with their phone and creates a shopping list for all items that it identifies.  You can also scan URL’s, phone numbers, and business cards and add it to your contacts immediately.  Flow also allows you to scan a product and quickly read the reviews that are listed in Amazon for that product.

            With the holiday season upon is this app can be very easy for users to create shopping lists and either order from Amazon without going to the stores, or have an idea of want they want to buy. This app can be very beneficial for Amazon because people can get their shopping out of the way quickly and easily. This can create a more competitive approach to shopping for people to choose Amazon instead of the malls and stay in the comfort of their own homes

Brittani Ogden-#2

Our Food.  Your Questions

Similar to the Wheat Thins Campaign, McDonalds actually launched their very own social media campaign.  The campaign by McDonalds is more of a transparency program.  The campaign itself is called “Our Food.  Your Questions” which welcomes customers to ask questions our McDonald’s menu through the use social media.

McDonalds understands that people are looking for faster and more straightforward responses to their questions.  That is why they are inviting customers to ask those important unanswered questions.  Customers can ask those questions to McDonald’s Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. 

McDonalds understand that there is competition out there and customers need to trust the food they are eating.  They will utilize these social media outlets to their full ability.  So far McDonalds has already responded to questions on their Twitter as well as thru the mini webisodes on their Instagram and YouTube channel. 

The main purpose of the use of these numerous social outlets will be to answer to customers via their campaign as well as share content and open up dialogue with customers. 

The launch of this campaign shows real people interacting with a large corporation.  The interaction between customers and a business is important.  Alongside the launch of this campaign, McDonalds has also created an Instagram page for Ronald McDonald.  Ronald McDonald will play an active role in this campaign.  A company utilizing technology the right way can play a huge role in their success.

Brittani Ogden-Blog Post #1

"Live Mas"

Taco Bell Advanced Mobile Ordering App

We live in a “now” world.  A world where technology connects so many people together that it allows things to be completed quicker than ever.  One new technology that is aiding in this process is the new Taco Bell application.  These days people are not drawn to a restaurant only for its food, innovations in technology can also be given credit.  Taco Bell has rolled out an advanced mobile app that lets customers order and pay on their smartphones and then walk or drive in to pick up their food. 

Taco Bell’s application is available via iOs and Android.  This mobile ordering application allows customers to order anything they want off the menu, including customizations and changes.  This flexibility and convenience allows people to utilize technology on their phones. 

The application has some great and helpful parts to it that can be beneficial to customers and especially Taco Bell.  The application should allow for a better customer experience by improving accuracy when customers order.  The app ensures a positive experience by allowing customers to order their food and it tracks the customers’ location so they know exactly when to start preparing food.  Instead of setting up a pick up time the app can tell how close a customer is to the location, ensuring hot food and no wait times.  

This application is something that will probably change the way people will eat at restaurants.  Customers appreciate convenience and expect their food to be ready.  The use of this application should cause less frustration and friction between customers and Taco Bell.   

Taco Bell seems to be ahead of the game in the release of this mobile ordering application.  Utilizing technology in this matter will probably attract more customers and also help build upon their current customer base.  Taco Bell also has plans on using the mobile app to their advantage in being able to study customer’s eating habits while also releasing a loyalty program within the app.   

Pizza Hut Social Media Marketing Strategy--Brian McGarry Post #2

Social media marketing campaigns are becoming  more of the norm these days. There are a lot of different companies using social media but some are a lot more effective than others. One of the companies to join the social media trend was Pizza Hut. In addition to expanding their menu and pushing the use of fresh ingredients, they also decided to use social media to appeal to a much wider audience.


They used many different methods to appeal to the public and advertise their business. They continued to use TV ads to promote it's expanded menu, new sauce, and fresh ingredients. They also bought advertising time on stations which helped them include a bigger and slightly older demographic, this included an age range of 25-54 years old.


They implemented various programs across Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, etc. They included an app to order pizzas on their Facebook page without having to leave Facebook. They helped themselves gain fans on their page by giving away $50 dollar gift cards and raffling off a dream vacation to Italy.


They also used Twitter to award a "Twintership" for Pizza Hut which was a great way to target the college aged audience. They used funny Youtube commercials to get people to watch, one of their Youtube posts had over 400,000 hits. They would also email coupons for up to 20% off and put a short expiration date on them to encourage you to order soon.


Pizza Hut also launched an app that allows it's customers to order from a fun, touch screen menu. It was downloaded over 100,000 times in the first 2 and a half weeks it was available.


I'd have to say that some of these marketing campaigns would probably work on me. Sometimes fast and easy is the best option and they certainly make it convenient to order. I'd also be sucked into becoming a fan of theirs on Facebook in hopes I might win a trip to Italy. It seems like they're off to a good start but I guess only time will tell if this campaign pays off in the long run?

Zendesk--Brian McGarry Post #1

Zendesk is software that helps improve customer service. Customer service usually begins with a phone call, email, tweet, search on your website, etc. so Zendesk takes all of these conversations from all of these different places and stores them to one site. It's very easy to set up and simple to use.


For customer support agents, it will highlight issues that require attention, allow them to work on multiple tickets/complaints at the same time, It also allows the support agent to find the tools and resources they need to solve an issue and can also link them to other outside social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to respond to an issue that way as well. Zendesk also makes it easy to work and collaborate as a team if you need input from other members of your company.


Zendesk will then track all of these customer interactions and how they're resolved which gives you critical data about your company and how you respond to issues. Not only does it give you an evaluation of your performance but it will also show you how you stack up against your peers. This will give you a real sense of how things are working regardless of your companies size.


Ultimately, Zendesk was created to improve the relationship between your business and your customers. It allows you to actually make sure they're happy at the end of the day without being involved in every little issue that might occur.

Bitcoin - The First Decentralized Currency

Bitcoin is an alternative and innovative way to pay for services or goods via the web without having to have funds tunnel through traditional financial institutions or clearing houses. This allows for transactions fees to be significantly reduced. Bitcoin is simply a software application that holds a virtual wallet for purchased Bitcoins. These can be acquired through a Bitcoin exchange. Bitcoin is run by the community and is not centralized by any organization or government. The secure transactions are handled through a process called Bitcoin mining. In a nutshell, mining is the process that validates the transactions as legitimate (i.e. cryptographic hashing). Bitcoins can be used at over 100,000 different locations including popular sites such as Gyft, TigerDirect.com, and Overstock.com

In order to get started, a wallet such as Blockchain or Armory is required to store Bitcoins. Once you have established your wallet, Bitcoins can be purchased through various reputable exchange sites such as Coinbase or BitStamp. Gift cards can be purchased via Bitcoin for common stores that do not presently accept Bitcoin currency.

Bitcoin has a significant following and is growing by leaps and bounds daily. With the concept of a decentralized payment network, the power is literally with the people. Merchants are able to tap into new markets and not worry about regulations or PCI compliance. They also benefit from lower fees and fraud minimization. Although there is still a fair amount of skepticism (perhaps due to lack of knowledge in general), the Bitcoin community is a thriving crypto currency that is not going away anytime soon.  

Ello Social Network

Ello is an ad free social network launched in March of 2014. When it launched it promised the opposite business model to Facebook. An example of this is they are not selling ads that are based on their users data, instead they will be relying on paid premium features to keep going. As an antithesis to Facebook with its no advertising policy and it refuses to go the typical social media route.of inundating its users with marketing materials.

While this may sound contrary to what you think social media should be doing in regards to business, there are many companies who have been impressed with Ello's ability to build relationships, to engage online users, and be a building block for a different style of attracting consumers to a business.

In less than two months in August and September Ello has grown from a close knit community group to now having over one million members, with three million in queue to join up!